Photo: Jallgor · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in River Vale Township earn more than in almost any other U.S. town
Measured by household income, River Vale Township is among the highest-earning towns in the country. Poverty touches 1.8% of residents; New Jersey has 9.7%. River Vale Township grades A+ for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets River Vale Township apart on work
A lot of River Vale Township workers cross into New York
24% of River Vale Township workers work outside New Jersey, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
River Vale Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in River Vale Township went from 1,429 in 2013 to 2,399 in 2023, +68%. The jobs ↓
River Vale Township’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside River Vale Township is New York City, NY, 25 miles away as the crow flies. 21% of working residents (1,021) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
River Vale Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 31 across New Jersey. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (27 to 36 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Home offices are common in River Vale Township
27% of River Vale Township workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in River Vale Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Vale Township is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #24 of 468 in New Jersey. Household income is its strongest input ($213,666, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Vale Township could be anywhere from A to A+.
21% of working residents work in New York City
Where River Vale Township clocks in
21% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Services make up most of the work in River Vale Township
2,399 jobs are based in River Vale Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Vale Township, 2013 → 2023: 1,429 → 2,399. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs River Vale Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from River Vale Township, by distance
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Time on the road from River Vale Township: about 39 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Vale Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,687 commuters (the 27% who work from home are left out). Across New Jersey: 75% drive alone, 10% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Who works in River Vale Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 4,757 residents head out to work, 187 work right here, and 2,212 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,000 people are in River Vale Township on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
0.49 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Good to walk, short on transit: River Vale Township
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Vale Township is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #262 of 468 in New Jersey. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 20.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 13.2% across New Jersey, on an EPA index of 7.7.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,053 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.2% of River Vale Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 18% of River Vale Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
River Vale Township places 71st of 2,878 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Fanwood NJ | 8,035 | $196K | 1.0% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 22 | Oradell NJ | 8,293 | $221K | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Fairwood MD | 7,526 | $181K | 6.5% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| 70 | Lincolnshire IL | 7,963 | $186K | 5.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 71 | River Vale Township NJ | 10,555 | $214K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 4% | A+ |
| 72 | Inverness IL | 7,418 | $207K | 2.6% | 3.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 73 | Wyoming OH | 8,807 | $165K | 2.7% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of River Vale Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Next door to River Vale Township
The biggest share goes to Westwood (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Vale Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Vale Township | – | A+ | A | 39 min | $213,666 |
| Old Tappan | under 2% | A+ | A | 34 min | $205,385 |
| Westwood | 2% | A+ | A+ | 28 min | $165,781 |
| Hillsdale | 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $186,688 |
| Harrington Park | under 2% | A | A | 36 min | $180,500 |
| Park Ridge | under 2% | A+ | A | 27 min | $171,029 |
| Emerson | under 2% | A | A+ | 31 min | $155,536 |
| Montvale | 2% | A | A | 32 min | $178,269 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Vale Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in River Vale Township: questions
What is the median household income in River Vale Township?
$213,666 (±$13,736) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Vale Township?
1.8%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Vale Township?
39 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Vale Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (21%, 24 mi), Paramus (3%, 6 mi), Hackensack (3%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Vale Township walkable?
River Vale Township is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 21% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Vale Township without a car?
18% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Vale Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Vale Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.